AquaVitro Salinity Reef Salt
 

Anyone else running this at the moment? Would like to see if anyone else is getting different tested values compared to their independent lab analysis.

It's telling me that their calcium level for 1.026 is 407ppm, two separate test kits of mine have now confirmed the level to be well over 540ppm.

Lot number 56369.00.

In addition to this I'm getting an insoluble material that floats on the surface, very small white crystals that have yet to dissolve after 36 hours of mixing...

Time to swap back to Reef Crystals me thinks?

I use salinity. My mix is always pinpoint at what the label claims (I test for calc and alk only). Takes around 24hours to dissolve clearly. No suspended matter though.

You don't have the lot # of your last batch by any chance?

There you go :)

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/...1-12222446.jpg

This is what they told me when I talked to them


So I asked should I remove the powerhead and heater from my set up......

And this. Don't know why you shouldn't mix for more than 24hrs. My cubes been mixing since march.

I don't use heater. I dissolve mine in a bit warm water (possibly around 85). The solution itself is exothermic and produces excess heat. I just use a maxijet 400 to dissolve 2-3gallon of saltmix for 24hours.

The statement made by Aquavitro, in addition to these values scares me enough to swap back to RC.

Under normal circumstances a salt mix should never be concentrated enough to allow for calcium bicarbonate precipitation (@NSW 1.026 values). The only way to do this would be vastly increasing ambient CO2 levels or altering internal water chemistry AWAY from NSW values. The levels of excess calcium being detected could very well be the source of super saturation and conversely the precipitate/ cloudiness.

As you stated why would I add a salt to my tank that doesn't work well when heated, mixed thoroughly or exposed to CO2? These are all key components in my reef aquarium...

That's what I got out of their comments as well. Awesome salt, just don't add water to it :)

Yap this salt is possibly the most controversial salt out there in market. People mainly leave this salt because of the precipitation but people who stayed with this salt always admired it.

I am sticking with this is because I don't need to buy any test kit other than nitrate and phosphate. Atleast for this batch :D

Haha. Like you said earlier, it better for salting ice ;)

I used to add water to salt with IC but found out that it simply doesn't work in case of this salt. So I slowly add salt to the water over a period of like 30 mins (1/2 cup every 15mins or till I don't see any residue). Seachem just tries to through in too much chemistry with this salt so found my own way :P

I use a heater and power head since I like my new water as close as possible to my DT. I usually mix the day before and the water from ro unit is way to cold to add to system. It doesn't make sense to mix cold with a wooden spoon. Plus agitating the water makes sure I have a good amount of dissolved o2 in it.

I have switched back to h2ocean. And do my mid week dosing

I think they said not to use heater because initially, the heater would be too hot compared to the water temperature and that would cause calcium precipitation around the heater. I don't think it would be a problem if the water is already at room temperature. And I do use powerhead; cannot think of any logic behind their claim of not using one. Infact, in their website, they did suggest mixing it for atleast 24hours for proper equilibrium of co2 and o2.

No clue about their claims. Like I said, they just bring in too many chemistry and I was never good at that :P

I use AquaVitro on my "grow out" tank (fish only), and I have the same issues; high calcium, lots of cloudiness, and tons and tons of suspended particles in the water. Since its only being used on my grow out tank, I don't particular care about the values, but I probably won't stick with it after I'm done these buckets.

I admit, I rolled my eyes at the line about no heat while thinking to myself, "what exactly do they think we're all using their salt for? Eating?"

Too boot its one of the most expensive salts out there... Again, time to swap back to RC why mess with something that's cheap & works.

I stopped using it a while ago. Took me an hour to scrub my mixing container due to all the stuff left on the sides and bottom. I could never get my alk above 6 and ca was at 380 - water changes every 2 weeks. Guess it was due to the precipitation. I did try mixing with no heater a few times, no difference. Plus all the floaty bits in the water. I've switched to reef crystals for now to see how things go, and I've finally started seeing an improvement in my tanks - 1 1/2 buckets later.

I switched from Salinity to Reef Crystals 1/3 of a bucket ago. Frags that didn't grow for the whole time on salinity are all perking up and growing nicely.

Calcium and Alk were always out to lunch with Salinity. (I would tumble the bucket for 2 minutes prior to pulling any salt from it. I preheat and mix the water and then add salt in 2 or 3 doses to get it up to 1.026.)

It never sat well with me to put water in with particulate floating around in it into my system.

I had one bucket of this stuff that I put into my rotation of salts but I never used it again after that first bucket. That insoluable material making my mixing tank cloudy kinda freaked me out. In fact, I never mixed a pure batch of it after the first batch. I mixed a few cups in with other salts. Plus the latch on my lid broke so it ended up being a pain in the arse to open every time.

And ya, I tested a fresh batch to well beyond 450ppm calcium.

I am using my first bucket (my first one was IO) and the values are always on the mark (atleast that's what my API kit says). Then again I only check calc and alk. Initially when I mix it, alk is well above 13 but after the solution is mixed for like 24hours or less, it goes to around 11dkh which is written on the label. No clarity issue or anything. And I use tapwater :P

Well since my tank is only 20 gallon and I do 2-3 gallon wc every two weeks (alk decreases to 9-10), this bucket is going to run me over a year so till then, I can be happy I guess :mrgreen:

And all my corals are doing great, good polyp extension and good growth on montis and birdnest.

I am the odd one out over here ;)

I have been using it since I started my tank, I have not had any of the problems all of you are having. I use a 245 gph pump in a 5 gal bucket with a small heater. I keep a mixed batch in a blue water jug with a heater and 2 small water pumps. I have never had it cloud my tank nor have I noticed any particles in the water.

I tested my calc once, it was about 450.

All the corals I have added are happy and growing well.

Now reef crystals..I started a QT before my DT and the water was cloudy for 2 weeks. There was a lot of debris in the water, I had to use vinegar to clean the gunk out of my buckets and even the syringe for my refractometer. (after making one batch)

I'm pretty sure this was the salt I used to initially start up my tank. Scratch that, not pretty sure, 100% sure. I still have one of the empty buckets right here that I store filter socks in until it's time to wash them (love that easy to open lid!). The bucket says it can make 225 gallons of 1.026 water, but if I remember correctly, it took over 2 full buckets to get my water up to level. I also remember that my tank looked like milk for a week. Some of that was due to the sand of course, but since I added sand and rock first, and then took 3 days filling it with R/O water, it wasn't nearly that cloudy until the salt went in.

Looking back at my earliest tests right after the tank was filled in April, before i had any corals in it or was dosing anything, my dKH was 10.5, and my calcium was 520 (never tested magnesium).

My first couple of water changes were with salinity as well, and it irritated me to no end to find the water still cloudy after 8 hours of mixing with a powerhead. The water in my tank would be cloudy for almost a full day after the water change too.

My general rule is that I don't like to use anything that doesn't turn mostly clear within 20 minutes to half an hour of mixing, so I switched back to using D-D H2Ocean after the salinity was used up. It's on the pricey side, and made even pricier as I seem to need more cups of it to get the right salinity than something like instant ocean, but it's 90% clear within 15 minutes of mixing, and it's levels are all exactly what I try to dose to anyway. When I was trying to replicate reefbuilders 'Ecoreef One' tank while my house was still under construction, I used H2Ocean for 100% weekly water changes on a 5 gallon tank, and the corals never seemed irritated or stressed.

I am on my first and last pail. I mixed it before using any. I thought I did a good job with that. I never tested the water when I started with this salt. Now at the end of the pail I tested the new mix and got a 540 calcium with Hanna Checker. I checked the mix only because I got an over 600 on display tank with the Hanna Checker. I have not been dosing Calcium. I am switching back to Reefers Best, and will watch more closely.

salinity is made with high calcium the idea is to dose less , if your tank doesnt need a high grade salt then i would switch to something different , the salt you use and what or if you dose is based on your corals and livestocks needs.

salinity is a great salt but has high parameters and isnt always consistent , reefers best is def a better salt(imo) but not always accessible.

I like RB salt. But like Denny said availability is hit and miss. I use salinity and have had issues with high values. But. To break up high swings I cut my water changes in half and increased frequency. It's depending on your system as to what's used. I do a WC every three days and still have to dose in between.